Sylvi
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "spirit of the woods".
Name Census estimates that about 296 living Americans carry the first name Sylvi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sylvi today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sylvi births was 2022 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sylvi. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Sylvi with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
296
~ 1 in 1,157,954 Americans
Peak year
2022
38 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,536
Tracked since 2006
Census
Sylvi in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 315 people with the first name Sylvi, which placed it at #28,488 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#28,488
National first-name rank
People counted
315
315 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
72.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sylvi
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sylvi is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (7.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Sylvi described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Sylvi at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.4% · 228
- Hispanic or Latino10.2% · 32
- Two or more races7.6% · 24
- Black or African American5.4% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Sylvi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sylvi from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 159 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sylvi by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sylvi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sylvis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sylvi
The name Sylvi has its origins in the Latin language, derived from the word "silva," which means "forest" or "woods." It emerged during the classical Roman period, when many names were inspired by nature and the environment.
The earliest recorded use of the name Sylvi can be traced back to ancient Roman texts, where it was occasionally mentioned as a feminine name. However, it was not particularly common during that era. The name's connection to the forest and natural world may have held significance in Roman culture, which celebrated various deities associated with nature and the outdoors.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Sylvi was Sylvi Getae, a Getic priestess who lived in the 1st century AD. According to historical accounts, she played a crucial role in the Dacian wars against the Roman Empire, serving as a spiritual leader and advisor to the Dacian king, Decebalus.
In the Middle Ages, the name Sylvi experienced a resurgence in certain regions of Europe, particularly in Scandinavia and Germany. One notable figure from this time was Sylvi of Friesland (c. 1010 - 1058), a Dutch noblewoman who became a prominent figure in the religious and political spheres of the region.
During the Renaissance period, the name Sylvi gained further popularity, particularly in Italy and other parts of Europe influenced by the classical Roman revival. One notable figure from this era was Sylvi Piccolomini (1508 - 1578), an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts who played a significant role in the cultural and intellectual life of Renaissance Italy.
In the 19th century, the name Sylvi appeared in various literary works, including the novel "Sylvi and Bruno" by Lewis Carroll (1832 - 1898), the famous author of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." The novel featured the character Sylvi, a young girl who embarks on a fantastical journey.
Another notable figure with the name Sylvi was Sylvi Likens (1949 - 1965), an American teenager who tragically became the victim of a highly publicized murder case in Indiana. Her story brought attention to issues of child abuse and neglect and sparked discussions around legal reforms to protect children.
Throughout history, the name Sylvi has maintained a connection to nature and the outdoors, reflecting its Latin roots. While not particularly widespread, it has been carried by individuals from various backgrounds and time periods, each leaving their mark on the cultural and historical landscape.
People
Sylvi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sylvi as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sylvi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sylvi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 296 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sylvi going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,157,954 US residents.
Is Sylvi a common name?
We classify Sylvi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 298 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sylvi most popular?
The single biggest year for Sylvi was 2022, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sylvi is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sylvi in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 315 people with the name Sylvi, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,488 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Sylvi in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Sylvi?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sylvi leans strongly female. 313 people counted with this name were female (98.1%), compared with 6 male bearers (1.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Sylvi?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sylvi is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (7.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Sylvi most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Sylvi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.4% (228 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Sylvi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sylvi a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sylvi in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Sylvi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sylvi in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Sylvi can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Sylvi as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Sylvi on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.